Underdog mentality, Marko Arnautovic and West Ham United: Everything David Wagner said at today's press conference

WATFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: David Wagner, manager of Huddersfield Town reacts during the Premier League match between Watford FC and Huddersfield Town at Vicarage Road on October 27, 2018 in Watford, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Huddersfield Town take on West Ham United this weekend looking for back-to-back wins in the Premier League.

The Terriers beat Fulham last time out and are now hoping to make it two wins from two top-flight fixtures for the first time since February.

David Wagner will have a full complement of Town men to choose from for the John Smith's Stadium clash, with the boss revealing that Danny Williams is back in training with the first-team squad this week.

Here's is what the boss had to say on his side's injuries - or lack of them - as well as his thoughts on the weekend match against the Hammers.

WATFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: David Wagner, manager of Huddersfield Town reacts during the Premier League match between Watford FC and Huddersfield Town at Vicarage Road on October 27, 2018 in Watford, United Kingdom. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Is this one of the most important results under your leadership?

"Yeah, it was one of the most important results - especially after the long period where we were without a win and the long period where we were without a home win.

"This was very, very important for all of us because the problem that we had in recent weeks was that we performed on such a high level consistently without winning games, without scoring enough goals, without collecting enough points.

"This make it difficult if it happens five or six weeks in a row and then it was very, very important after the only poor performance which we have had this time, against Watford away, to show a reaction.

"This is exactly what the players have done and this is what made me very, very happy.

"It is easy to ask yourself for a reaction, to speak about a reaction, but then to show it in the circumstances which we had, to have an early six-pointer.

"I said this after the game and I absolutely believe in it; that this game, this result, will help us for the whole season because we have the experience from last year.

"There will be comparable games like the one we have played, where you have to deliver a result and a performance and we have done it in this season with a new group again.

"This is very important for the future because we will have similar situations, a few of them in the next seven months, and this will help."

How proud of your team's mentality were you?

"I am very proud with how the players have done it.

"It was not l a lucky win. It was not a win they didn't deserve. It was a win with the real spirit and style which we stay in this game for.

"This is what made me proud, but, to be honest, I have never doubted the character or the quality of this group because they have shown too much in recent weeks and I have seen them every day in training.

"I feel the atmosphere in the dressing room as well and, of course, the atmosphere is different if you win games, ut we never had the atmosphere or the mood of a team which was 10 games without a win or bottom of the league. It was different.

"I think the difference is caused by the characters and by the togetherness of the group. Of course on the performances as well because they have seen they have performed well as a group without the points and because everything is still very tight in the table.

"Even if you had a very poor start with 10 games without a win, we have always been around the area where we have known one win and you are absolutely back in the race.

"This is not what has happened and this is what we can now build upon and this is exactly what we will do."

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How important is it to get back-to-back wins and move out of bottom three?

"This is, for us, the next target, which is a difficult one.

"We know that West Ham is a very good side with a lot of experienced players.

"They have invested a lot of money in the summer with an experienced manager, which they have.

"They are on a good run at the minute after their poor start, but it doesn't change that, once again, it is all about us.

"We have to come back to our fighting spirit, to our performance like in the past.

"We have to make sure that we show exactly the same intensity and positive aggression which we have shown on last Monday and then we will see what we can get out of this game.

"It will not be easy, but, with this result of last Monday and with this atmosphere and this togetherness which we have had on last Monday, I have the confidence and the belief that it is possible that we have the chance to be successful again.

"Everybody knows how important back-to-back wins are in the Premier League. We only had them twice last season and now we have a chance for it in front of our home crowd.

"We have to make sure the supporters are on it from the first second because they know as well how important back-to-back wins are.

"We have an opportunity for it, even if we know how difficult the task is, but this is exactly the challenge we wanted to have and this is our aim."

Is goalscoring still a concern or are you due a change of luck in front of goal?

"We are not one of the luckiest teams in the season so far - this is absolutely obvious.

"But we do not have to complain about it, we don't have to moan about it. We have to work hard and then it will change and the only one who can change it is us.

"For me it is important that we still create opportunities and that we still create moments where we look dangerous.

"Obviously it is important to score one more goal than your opponent. Last Monday one was enough.

If this is the case tomorrow, I will be delighted, but at the end it is all about bringing exactly the same togetherness and spirit, to keep the ball out of the net all together and invest everything to make sure there are no dangerous situations for our goal with all XI together.

"If that means that our centre backs will score again then we will try to create dangerous moments and try to score.

"This is very, very important. It is important to score, but it is very, very important to defend strong and together and to make it very uncomfortable for West Ham tomorrow.

"This is one of our aims. If we can have another clean sheet tomorrow then it would be a very good achievement as well.

"There are so many small things we can work on and fight for: a clean sheet is one, a goal is another and the points and the win.

"There are so many small things like the performance and creating the atmosphere again.

"We have so many small targets, but the big target is obviously to try and get back-to-back wins."

"Substitutes are allowed to score goals so it is not all about our strikers.

"What is for sure is that we need goals to win games and if we defend on our highest level it makes it easier and we don't need too many of them, but, like always, we have to be focused on our performance.

"This is so, so important that you always deliver the performance that you can say: 'yes, we deserved something'.

"This was the case in the last weeks, apart from the Watford game which was a deserved defeat, but in the other games we have always performed on a level where we have been able to say 'yes, we deserved something out of this game'.

"Sometimes we got it, but this is something we have to accept; that it is all about the performance, and for this, because it was a short week for us, we need the energy from the stands again so the players are able to make the hard yards - and there will be a lot of hard yards which we will have to go tomorrow to be succeesful."

Were you planning the celebrations after the Fulham win?

"This was spontaneous and it is something that always was in the past and will be part of our positive routine after games; to celebrate wins together with our supporters because we all together know what a big part our supporters play that the players are able to play this style we prefer to play, which is very intensive and very aggressive and you have to have a lot of energy.

"When your energy level starts to drop it helps you to stay on a high level if the support from the stands is on the highest level as well.

"This is what has happened in the past and it is exactly what we need tomorrow again."

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Do you have to hide the significance of certain matches from your players to take pressure off them?

"I always think that pressure is part of professional football. We can make the pressure bigger than it already is or accept that it is part of our business.

"So it's there, accept it, but always make sure you see the chance you have in every single game.

"We had a chance on Monday, which we used, and we have a chance tomorrow again.

"For me, the most important thing as a manager is to make sure that when my players go on to the grass, they have to know what they have to do in different situations: which spaces we like to attack, which balls we have to avoid to play, which balls we expect them to play.

"There are so many small details and this is my job, apart from making them as fit as possible and giving them the right mentality, to invest into the game to make them aware of the tactical details.

"There is a moment where the players have to decide in less than a second to make the right decisions and if you have enough information, you feel fit and know everything you have to know, have the power to deliver and have the group who likes to play this style of football, then you are focused on it and you don't feel pressure in these situations.

"This is exactly how we usually deal with these situations and there are a lot of teams who have to feel a lot more pressure, if we speak about pressure, in the Premier League than we do, even if we are so ambitious to be as successful as we can."

Where will the West Ham threats come from tomorrow?

"Obviously they have strengthened their squad. They have world-class individuals in their team offensively. They have some top-quality players in midfield and they have experience and quality in the defence.

"They have everything you need to be a successful football team and in recent weeks they have shown they can find a way to win games.

"We are prepared, we know what will be in front of us tomorrow and hopefully we will be able to find the solutions to beat them, even if we are aware of their quality."

Who helps you when days are a bit more difficult?

"Of course, sometimes I speak to my wife about it - then she speaks a lot!

"Sometimes I speak to my dog because it is easier because he doesn't speak when we talk!

"This is how I deal with it myself and with the group; I will not tell lies. I will tell the truth.

"The truth is, when we saw the fixtures, you can imagine that it would be a difficult start.

"If you have seen the performances then you have seen that it looks that we are competitive.

"We need this little bit of luck, but we have a squad together that can collect points in the Premier League, who has a chance in the Premier League.

"Can we ask for more? No we can't. This is why we all together, especially myself, have to calm down and say 'listen, nothing really happened so far that wasn't to be expected'. This is the truth.

"Even if we wanted to have more, even if we had the ambition to have more - and we are very greedy and sometimes we are not calm enough because we like to have it quicker - but the reality is nothing has happened so far to us as a football club points-wise where we haven't thought this could happen in this season.

"Performance-wise there were very good performances against very good teams, but it is all about being focused on the next game, making sure you prepare yourself for the next game and make sure you are always honest when speaking about the negatives, but be able to speak about the positives as well, even if there are a lot of negative moments and you are without a win in 10 games or without a home win in six months.

"Obviously there are negative moments you have to speak about, but there were a lot of positives as well and I don't think it makes any sense not to speak about the positives.

"This is how I deal with it myself."

Is it frustrating when people underestimate Huddersfield?

"No because this is what I have faced for three years. It is business as usual and nothing new.

"I can't complain about it because they are right.

"With the arguments they deliver on why they judge us as the team which will get relegated at the bottom of the league - I understand why, but they don't have the view I have into the club, into the dressing room, into the individuals.

"They don't see the progression or energy which this football club has.

"They don't see that these guys like this underdog role and accept it. They don't moan about it, they take it on the chin and say 'come on, yeah, we are the underdog', but we like to face West Ham and try our best.

"This is how the atmosphere in this football club is and this has grown over the last three years. It hasn't happened from one day, it has grown.

"Everything they have delivered so far, I think they are absolutely right to accept this role and it makes no sense to try and change it because it is one of those things which is true.

"The truth is we are small, we are the underdogs, but we are Terriers and Terriers always fight."

It doesn't matter about the scoreline this week, does it? As long as you win...

"I know exactly what you mean, but I would take a 3-0 win as well!

"But for the mood and the atmosphere because it was a tight win, at the end it makes it even greater because you know you can get hold of this results in the last five minutes.

"We looked really mature and didn't give the ball away. We kept the ball in the corner which was very mature.

"Then, and this is I was proud of the result, how they have done it. They have done it their way.

"Especially in the first half, we played our game. We looked like the Terriers and this was enough in this game to take the lead in the first half and in the second half we were able to get the result over the line.

"This was, in an important game where both managers said it was a six-pointer, this made me proud that they were able to stick to their idea and stick together in this game.

"This will help us for the future."

How important were the fans on Monday?

"Since I have arrived they have always played their part and on Monday they confirmed it on the highest level

"Unfortunately this counts for them like us - it will not be enough for tomorrow.

"They have to come to another level because this possibility of back-to-back wins is so great that we should not forget to clap your hands and support your team every single second on Saturday.

"The importance of it is so big that we like to really create this atmosphere and hopefully the players can take this and perform."